Text 1531, 87 rader
Skriven 2004-08-29 11:08:02 av John Hull (1:379/1.99)
Ärende: Kerry Biographer Disses Kerry
=====================================
John Kerry's staff has been saying that Kerry had an agreement of
confidentiality with the author of the book "Tour of Duty."  But, turns out
there's no such agreement.  Say it ain't so, Joe...



MISSION: IMPLAUSIBLE
Kerry biographer disputes campaign
Says claim candidate is contractually bound
to give him exclusive access to archive false

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Posted: August 29, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern



© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com 


The answers to all the questions raised by critics of John Kerry could probably
be answered by the large archive of documents he keeps in his home. 

Douglas Brinkley, the 43-year-old author who wrote "Tour of Duty," the
biographical account of Kerry's time in Vietnam, described it this way: "I'm
talking a massive archive. I had to sit in his house, with this woman watching
me, and go through the collection – 12-page letters, notebooks, journals. I
made three different trips, and stayed there for days." 

Brinkley is the only one who's been allowed to handle this extensive resource.
Indeed, the Kerry campaign has refused to release his personal Vietnam archive,
including his journals and letters, to other journalists, saying the candidate
is contractually bound to give Brinkley exclusive access. 

But Brinkley disputed this to the Washington Post yesterday, saying the papers
belong to Kerry and are under his full control. 

"I don't mind if John Kerry shows anybody anything," he said. "If he wants to
let anybody in, that's his business. Go bug John Kerry, and leave me alone,"
Brinkley said. 

His exclusivity agreement with Kerry, he explained, is limited only to the
requirement that anyone quoting the material must also cite Brinkley's book. 

The Kerry campaign also claims that it has released all of the candidate's
military records, but the Washington Post has reported it was able to obtain
only six of "at least a hundred pages" under its Freedom of Information Act
Request. 

Now, even those records that have been released are being challenged. Former
Navy Secretary John Lehman says he has no idea where the citation in support of
Kerry's Silver Star, appearing on the Democrat's campaign Web site and under
his signature, came from. 

"It is a total mystery to me. I never saw it. I never signed it. I never
approved it. And the additional language it contains was not written by me,"
said Lehman. He suggested his signature had been placed on the document by an
autopen. 

Ironically, in November 2000, on the eve of the presidential election, it was
George Bush's turn to have his character questioned because of his military
service during the Vietnam war. Then, as in 2004, Bush was accused of having
avoided overseas duty by joining the Texas Air National Guard. And then, as
now, the missing records that would have documented his service provided fodder
for the political charges against him. "No documents have been found to show he
reported for duty as ordered in Alabama in 1972," reported Associated Press. 

Leading the charge was Senator John Kerry, "wounded in Vietnam." On the weekend
before Election Day, Kerry told a crowd of Gore supporters, "Those of us who
were in the military wonder how it is that someone who is supposedly serving on
active duty, having taken that oath, can miss a whole year of service without
even explaining where it went." Now, Kerry is the one with gaps being pointed
to by critics. 

Kerry, if he chose, could instruct the Pentagon to open his full military
personnel file by signing Form 180. And, as Brinkley has stated, there is no
constraint on sharing his personal papers with other journalists. 



John 

America:  First, Last, and Always!
Go to www.madgorilla.us for all your Domain Name Services at the lowest rates.

--- Msged/386 TE 05
 * Origin: We are the Watchmen of our own Liberty! (1:379/1.99)